Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-02-18
HOMEOPATHY IN AGRICULTURr
Lecture by w. II. Bowker, President ot
the Bowker Fertilizer Company.

|
PRESIDENT Bowker of the Bowker Ferti-
iizer company of Massachusetts, lectured
before the farmers class at the expert
ment station building, Tuesday after
noon. very good attendance of farmers
was present. Mr.. Bowker took for his
subject Homeopathy in Agriculture. 4"
lie said that the sense in which he used
the term homeopathy was not its medical
significance, viz, that "like cures ]ike.U
put lts popular significance, of the in.
nhitesimal quantity. His line of argu-
heht was TO demonstrate. that as in the
practice OF homeopathy in medicine, small
quantities of medicine administered
at frequent intervals produce curative
results, so small quantities of highly con
centrated plant food, frequently admin
islered, may ensure the best life.cond-
tlohS ana growth of the plant. The
speaker had before him number of hays
representing the comparative links of
commercial fertilizers and the amount of
pant loou they contain. Two hundred
POUNDS OF commercial fertilizer, he said.
contains an average amount of plant food
consisting OF per cent nitrogen, IL per
cent total phosphoric acid and Der cent
potash: BY way of illustration. take n
crop OF corn, upon which 1000 pounds of
TINS fertilizer is used per acre. The actual
plant food extracted from this amount Of
lertlilzer is only POO pounds. The
question may be asked, why handle
so much bulk of fertilizer for so
little plant food !? The answer is that
Whlle fertilizers are more concentrated
| IMAM manure, they are not 50 concentrat.
ed as may be made in the chemists labora-
tory All the natural foods of plants or
animals are enveloped in more or less or
eanlc matter, ana consequently the manu-
| oil.
handle more bulk than represents the
actual plant food contained.
10 snow how small is the effective
amount OF fertilizers used in the crop of
corn, the speaker made the following com
pufation; There are AZ, $50 souare
leet IN an acre, which, with the soil of cul-
tlvatlon ~ inches deep, makes 43, $50 cubic
leet OF SOIL through which 1000 pounds of
FERTILIZER must be distributed. This gives
10 each cubic foot 100 grains of mixed fer.
tilizer or ~ grains of actual plant food. A
cubic foot of arabic soil weighs from so to
W pounds; an acre therefore weighs 1850
TONS. Each cubic foot will get but
IIGo;njuS OF grain of actual
plant food. To pnt it in more practical
FORM, IN an acre OF corn, with the hills
planted from three to three and one-half
feet apart there are 1000 hills. and. with
I'VE stalks to the hill, 10000 corn stalks.
Each hill gets one-tourth of pound of
lertillzer or $50 grains of plant food, and
eacn stalk OF corn 20 grains of plant food
Is nor this applying plant food in homu.-
palhlc doses But only the nitrogen of
t te amounts is the real plant food. In
loo pounds OF nitrate of soda applied there
are lb grains of nutriment for each cubic
1901 CT SOIL, and one fifth of grain to
each pound of soil. But of the actual
hutrinent, nitrogen, there are only three.
one nundredths of a grain for each pound
of soil. r'''
Two conclusions result. /. In dealing
with such intinetisimal quantities it is
necessary that the fertilizer be supplied
III the best mechanical condition. g The
lert1izer must not only be distributed
evenly, but It must be thoroughly mingled
with the soil
Inc reason why ground raw materials
are not so good for fertilizers as the man.
ulactured article is plain. 1t has been dis
covered by scientific experiment that bone
treated with sulphuric acid is a better
fertllizeer than ground bone. So any form
OF raw material Is better in a chemically
soluDle condition than in so-called me
chanlcally soluble condition. No me
chanical division is equal to the action of
Sulpnurlc acid as au agent of solution
lnsoluble phOsphates Will do when the
element OF time is not taken into consid.
eIatlon out time Is very valuable con
are to be quickly matured. For in
stance potatoes, which mature in
80 days, are IN need of phosphoric acid
every day of their growth, and they can
not OBTAIN 1t from raw, lnSoluble fertill-
zers' True, insoluble fertilizers are
cheaper IN the beginning, but in
the end their results are not satisfactory
or prontable. In England nothing but
soluble phosphates are used Such inert
compounds rs insolnble phosphates are
100 SLOW for most crops. We conclude
tnat phoSphates must be in a soluble con
al cd TO h.n
The availability of all the constituents
OF plaut FOOD Is another very important
point. Homeopathy in medicine elimin
ates chance, so far IN possible Might not
TINS principle be adopted in certain sense
IN agricultural 1t is not by any means
specific plants food of the kind
best adapted to their growth For |
instance, we find that certain forms of |
potash are more beneficial to certain crops |
than other forms of potash. Special |
lertiliZatlon Is an important feature in
agriculture. We find that certain forms |
of plant food increase the yield of Ger
tain crops; and this principle is applica-
BILE to all kinds of farm produce. Pota-
toes fertilized with compound of muriate
OF potash and soluble phosphoric acid with
a liberal proportion OF ammonia give a
flne crop free from rot and all disease.
Ammonia salts are good for all crops
producing luxuriant foliage Soluble
phosphate of lime is marked in its effects
upon the turnip. Every form of plant
has its specific food, If we but knew
what it was. Plants have the power of
selection, and invariably exercise it
II given the opportunity. A healthy plant
must be perfectly fed from first to last.
We are just on the threshold of discovery
IN this subject of plant feeding. The
farmer and manufacturer both stand ex-
pectantly at the doors of the experiment
stations, awaiting for more light. Shall
We have it
In the discussion following the lecture
hese points. among others. were brought
nut: Rust in oats is prevented by fur
lishing the plant the right sort Of food
turing the entire course of its develop
nent Early sowed oats do not rust so
badly as late sowed
Scab in potatoes is prevented by fertiliz-
ng the crop, so that IL shall have an early
tart and grow vigorously and continu-
,usly.
Sulphate of potash produces sweeter ber-
les or fruits
Salt is chiefly valuable in assisting in
he assimilation of the other ingredients !